Former NBA player Benoit Benjamin was arrested and charged with simple battery and resisting arrest following a domestic disturbance at his house Sunday afternoon. When police arrived at the scene they found a woman with visible swelling on her forehead, and a pissed off Benjamin.

According to the arrest report, when the officer tried to make contact, Benjamin attempted to walk into the front door of the house.
Police say that when Benjamin was ordered to stop, he used obscenity and said, “This is my house.”

Told that he was under arrest, Benjamin allegedly said, “No I’m not.”

Despite Benoit thinking he wasn’t under arrest the police took the former Supersonic, Laker, Net, Grizzly, Buck, Raptor, 76er, and Cavalier to the Ouachita Correctional Center where he was released on $4,000 bond.. Just in time to be honored on Tuesday by the city of Monroe, Louisiana.

Former NBA Player Benoit Benjamin arrested in Monroe after domestic dispute. Courtesy of The News Star

Benoit Benjamin, NBA, Former Player Arrested

Stephen A.Smith is one of the countless number of pundits on television, sports or otherwise, that gets paid to spout opinions that they may or may not truly believe. In Stephen’s case, he believes everything he says and thinks every word is important.

SAS put down his Blackberry and Cheezy Doodles for a few minutes to join Chris McKendry on Sportscenter before game one of the Cavs/Wiz series. The conversation covered the NBA playoffs, Isiah Thomas, and the New York Knicks. After Chris McKendry made the mistake of calling the Knicks a dog of a team, Stephen A. set her straight and then explained how to fix New York’s embarrassment of a basketball team.

Let’s stop that stuff about the dog. We’re calling them dogs because of their record but if you took LeBron James off of the Cleveland Cavaliers what are the Cleveland Cavaliers? They couldn’t shine the New York Knicks’ shoes despite how bad they’ve looked this year. You’ve got talent, what you’re lacking is a true point guard and a leader. If you get a leader to put along with the talent that they have, the New York Knicks can actually be respectable. Keep in mind y’all, the Atlanta Hawks are in the postseason this year.. They’re not even a .500 team. Trust me. The New York Knicks will be able to compete for a playoff spot if they got a leader. Derrick Rose. Memphis. I keep saying that. Derrick Rose Memphis. I don’t care what you gotta do. Fix the ping pong balls, do something. Get him. Get him.

I’m sure David Stern had no problem with the broadcast partner of his league suggesting that the draft lottery is fixed or be fixed.. After all, it was Stern who fixed the ’85 draft.

FFwd to the 4:40 mark for the envelopes being brought out, and about the 5:30 point to see the bent Knicks envelope.

Whether the 1985 NBA draft was rigged or not, it was worth it for Patrick Ewing. I don’t see the Knicks getting the same ROI for Derrick Rose.

Tags: Stephen A. Smith, ESPN, 1985 Draft, New York Knicks

He hasn’t posted his picks for this weekend but Teen Wolf was right on last weekend. Granted, he only picked two games but he was 2-0. Washington St. advanced to the Sweet 16 and Georgetown flamed out. There’s no full moon this week so take T-Dubs picks with a grain of salt when me makes them.

Tags: Teen Wolf, March Madness, youtube

Athletes need to have a plan for life after sports. The millions of dollars earned during their careers seem to evaporate quickly during retirement. It could be bad investments or lavish living but one thing’s for sure, the athletes aren’t keeping their loot. Denver Nuggets guard Chucky Atkins is working now to ensure that his future is protected.

Chucky Atkins and former Memphis Grizzlies assistant trainer Yusuf Boyd started a car customization business last fall. Immortal Kustomz is located 20 minutes south of Memphis, Tennessee and they will pimp anything from classic cars to the latest luxury rides. From the Immortal Kustomz website:

“Immortal Kustomz tailors vehicles to those individuals who will not submit to a life of uniformity and only accept perfektion.” No doubt. So far the company boasts a client list of guys Chucky played with in Memphis, but hopefully business will pick up. I don’t wanna see Atkins end up like Sprewell or Vin Baker.

Nuggets guard Atkins deals with wheels. Courtesy of The Rocky Mountain News

Tags: Chucky Atkins, Denver Nuggets, NBA, Immortal Kustomz

Back in the day, when we wanted to watch the first two days of the NCAA Tournament we had to call in sick.. And then head to Vegas. That’s still the best way to watch the opening weekend, but if you can’t get away you can enjoy the games while you work at your desk. NCAA.com and CBSsports.com are bringing us NCAA March Madness on Demand. You can watch the games LIVE for FREE on your computer.

It’s best to go ahead and sign-up now because the FREE VIP memberships are almost gone. VIPs will have shorter wait times than General Admission members when being connected to the games. At last check the VIP capacity was 80% full.

NCAA March Madness on Demand

A coach can be a lot of things. A teacher, a leader, a father figure, and a role model to name a few. Or in the case of Rick Pitino, a business partner. The Louisville Cardinals basketball coach has teamed up with former Kentucky Wildcats Jamal Mashburn and Walter McCarty to start Fast Break Doughnuts LLC of Lexington. They plan to open 17 Dunkin’ Donuts in the Central Kentucky area in the next few years, and the first one will open in May in Lexington.

Doing business together is nothing new for Rick Pitino and Jamal Mashburn. From the Lexington Herald-Leader:

In 2000, an investor group including Mashburn, Pitino and Avare completed the purchase of 70 percent of Toyota on Nicholasville and the Lexus Store of Lexington on U.S. 27 in Nicholasville.

Two years later, the trio picked up Ron McCauley as a business partner and bought Toyota of Richmond. McCauley eventually bought out his partners. He sold the dealership in 2007.

Other restaurant ventures for Mashburn, Pitino and Avare include 35 Outback Steakhouses throughout California. Mashburn and Avare, along with McCarty, who is an assistant coach at U of L and played under Pitino with the Boston Celtics, are partners in a company that owns and operates 28 Papa John’s pizza restaurants in six states.

Another former Wildcat, Ron Mercer, has been included in some deals with Jamal Mashburn, but it doesn’t look like he’s gettin down this time. Maybe it has something to do with Mercer being indicted for that strip club incident last summer, or maybe he’s busy enough down at the houseboat shop.

Pitino group to be Dunkin’ Donuts. Courtesy of the Lexington Herald-Leader

Tags: Rick Pitino, Walter McCarty, Jamal Mashburn, University of Kentucky, Dunkin’ Donuts